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mountain side, feeling how much land remained to be possessed even in this province.

With regard to the work at Siong Chie, there is, I think, every reason for us to thank God and take courage. Mr. Wolfe has, I believe, sent you the account of the conversion of two brothers here who were once much opposed to Christianity, but who, since another brother's peaceful death, have quite changed. I was much pleased with the earnestness of these two young men. They afford great help to the catechist, accompanying him to the surrounding villages to preach; and as they are tea farmers they have very little to do, except at certain seasons of the year. The eldest brother of this family still delays to join himself to the Church, although he comes to listen, and does not at all interfere with his brothers; it seems that he is still living in sin, The youngest boy, a bright intelligent lad of about sixteen, regularly attended the services until lately; his mother, however, now forbids his doing so, saying that she wants him to keep her company at home. The old lady told me that she was glad for her sons to be Christians, and that she would herself come to church if there were any women there. I might mention that the catechist is a single man, and according to Chinese etiquette, women are debarred from coming to the services. This evening paid a visit to the landlord of the chapel. He is very well off, I fancy, and he told me that as soon as he had finished tea-picking he quite intended to attend the services, that he had ceased the worship of idols, as he quite saw they were useless. As there was a good-sized idol in the room I thought I would test his words, so I said to him, "Oh, I am very glad, and I dare say you wouldn't mind giving me that idol there to take to Foochow, I should like to send it to England." He replied, "Yes, certainly," and as it was rather large I said I would send for it. When I did so, about an hour afterwards, he said that he was quite willing to let me have it, but that his wife refused to do so. I think that there are more idols in the Kiong Ning Fu district than in any other I know, and perhaps this is why such opposition is manifested against our preaching or renting in the city.

The absence of graves in this district is also remarkable, the dead being interred in pots all along the road side. It seems that when anybody dies the body is put into a coffin, and placed about a foot under ground for a year, when the coffin is opened and the body burnt, the bones being preserved and put into earthenware pots about three feet in height, and placed in little caves by the roadside. It is very curious to see thousands of these pots covered with paper money and charms, which are placed on them at certain times each year. It was very pleasant to notice here that the people were not the least afraid of a foreigner. Even the smallest children very soon made friends with me, whereas, at Foochow, and some other places, the women and children run away as though we were cannibals or wild beasts. This is, of course, in consequence of the absurd stories which are told about us.

April 25.-Started this morning for Ku Cheng, a three days' journey, and called at Siong Po, a new station about seven miles from Siong Chie. This place has been occupied about six months, and as yet no fruit has appeared; there seemed to be no opposition manifested, and the catechist is allowed to preach without hindrance.

To-night reached a large place called Sang Tau (Mountain head), where we have tried, but as yet in vain, to rent a chapel. The people seem very much afraid of foreigners, and I had great difficulty in getting a bed. After I had done so I took a walk outside the village, followed by a great crowd of people. I sat down on a bridge near the village, and was able to tell the people my business by means of some Ku Cheng men who were present. The people, for the most part, had never seen a foreigner before, and they believed that we can see into the ground and tell where to dig for gold, silver, &c., a distorted notion, evidently, of geology; it was in vain that I assured them it was not so, that only a few men who studied the earth and its formation were able to give an opinion about it with some probability, and that my eyes were the same as theirs, except in colour; they insisted that it was not so, and that if I was willing I could tell them where to find precious things. After supper I walked down the street, and at the invitation of the owner, sat down in a cake-shop for some time, while the colporteur, who understood the dialect, told them of the doctrines his books contained, and sold some portions of the Scriptures.

April 27.-To-day a man called after me, "Jesus' teacher! come and drink tea." I therefore entered his house, and was soon surrounded by the neighbours. We were only about a mile from Sek Lek Tu, and of course these people knew all about our doctrines, indeed some of this man's relatives are Christians. I told him I hoped he would go to the services at Sek Lek Tu. He begged me to have dinner with him, but I preferred to go on to Sek Lek Tu, where an interesting work is still going on, there being several inquirers and candidates for baptism. Was glad to reach Ku Cheng to-night, where we had the usual Saturday evening prayer meeting.

April 29.-Started for Foochow, and arrived there on the 3rd of May, truly thankful for the protection afforded me in my journeyings.

SIVAGASI AND BISHOP SARGENT.

IVAGASI must ever be a spot of special interest to all who are concerned in the spread of Christ's kingdom, as being the resting-place of the sainted Ragland. In a peaceful tope of trees just outside of Sivagasi rest the mortal remains of that devoted missionary. Near the grave is the bare, rude-looking building in which Mr. Ragland committed his soul, and the work he so dearly loved, to his loving Saviour, leaving his faithful brethren, Messrs. Fenn and Meadows, to carry on the work.

When Mr. Ragland died there was no church at Sivagasi, and only a small congregation gathered out from among the heathen by a Native brother. No bell, raised aloft, made known the return of the blessed day of rest. Those who professed to be followers of Christ were indeed poor and ignorant, having no proper teachers over them.

How great the contrast now! towering above every other building is the Christian's Church. There it stands, a constant witness to the truth; being entirely white, it is a conspicuous object for miles round. No one can enter the town without being arrested by that silent preacher, if they would but heed to its loving warning voice.

Among the Christians (still a little flock) are those who are known and respected by the heathen, men also of wealth and position. On each returning Sabbath the church bell calls to prayer and praise, and the hearing of the Word read and expounded. At present the Mission Dresser, or Medical Evangelist, is in charge of the congregation. May the day be not far off when there will be a pastor at Sivagasi entirely supported by the congregation! The people are very anxious to have a pastor, and promise to support him entirely in the course of a few years. They are willing at once to build a house for him, if sent. Some among the Christians are hopeful of a large movement towards Christianity, if only due means be taken.

A weekly open-air service is held at a junction of four streets, consisting of singing and preaching. Four addresses are usually delivered, while half a dozen of the Sachiapuram Boarding-school boys act as choristers. A pulpit has been made for the purpose, which takes to pieces, and is carried to and fro by the boys. These services always draw together from eighty to one hundred persons.

Now a word about Bishop Sargent's visit-a visit long looked forward to by the Christians at Sivagasi. At length, expectata dies adest [the expected day is come]-a day to be long remembered by the people-a busy day for the good Bishop. Although he had delivered two addresses here, one in the morning, and the other at the Confirmation Service at noon, in compliance with the earnest request of the Christians of Sivagasi, he consented to deliver a third address at Sivagasi in the evening. Accordingly, at 8 P.M. he and I started for Sivagasi; on the road we were met by half a dozen men carrying torches, lent for the occasion from the heathen temple! As we neared the town a crowd began to gather, which thickened as we approached the church. On entering the church we found it filled with Christians and heathen, the latter predominating. Although there was a large crowd outside the church, perfect order was kept during the whole service. The Bishop spoke from the words "What is truth?" The address was most suitable, and listened to most attentively by those present, and will long be remembered by many who heard it. Bishop Sargent is still, thank God, hearty and strong, and able to get through a good day's work. May he long be spared to Tinnevelly! HUGH HORSLEY. Sachiapuram, August 16th.

"NO LEISURE."

T is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master"; and an extract sent to us from a private letter from Miss Laurence of Ningpo [see GLEANER, February and November, 1877, and September, 1878] reminds us of certain days in Galilee, 1800 years ago :Although the schools broke up on Monday, I have had no rest yet to speak of. This is the great month for worshipping the Thunder God, whose temple is close by. I have had an awning with mats put up from the house to the gate, and seats and a small table for tea-cups, and since Monday we have had very little quiet. On Tuesday there were relays the whole day from 8 A.M. till 6 P.M. The poor Bishop [Russell] only tried talking once in the chapel, and then he got into such a heat (at 9 A.M.) that he had to change every vestige of clothing, and has been hoarse ever since. You would have been much amused at some of them. One old nun came and worshipped me, and when I stood up, assuring her I was of the same nature as herself, she only smiled and nodded, and then asked, "Is this a male or a female god?" This morning three women, sisters, have been in, all widows without sons; two of them have one little girl. They had never heard anything of "the doctrine" at all.

Mrs. Russell has had two women also busy all the time on her verandah, and the chapel has been open several hours every day with a succession of speakers, so I do hope we may reap a few sheaves this time.

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THE LITTLE SHIPS ON THE LAKE.

(Suggested by the late LIEUT. SMITH'S Sketch in the March GLEANER.)

ESIDE the rippling lake He found a home:

At morn He walked along the wave-kissed shore;
He watched the mirrored blue, the tossing foam,
The fisher's gliding sail or toiling oar.

"A little ship should wait on Him," He said,
When round His feet the thronging people pressed;
The waves, that wildly rocked His sleeping head,
Sank at His word to silence and to rest.
Now let the dawn on broader waters break!
Dark faces flock to greet Thy coming, Lord!
The little ships are on the mighty lake,

The sail, the oar, are waiting for Thy word.
Let the full net be drawn at Thy command,
When night seems long, and hours of labour vain
Far from his home, upon a sultry strand,

The fisher follows Thee, in toil and pain.
The stars that glittering gild the purple wave,
No longer light Thy lonely midnight way:
Let not the water be the boatman's grave!
Still for Thine own, O Saviour, watch and pray!

See where they sit in error's darkest night,

And weeping slaves in death's deep shadow dwell;
Rise, Sun of Righteousness! our Life, our Light!
Like their bright waves, let songs of freedom swell.
Now let them come with eager, out-stretched hand,
To touch Thy robe, or take a blessing given;
With healing finger reach "the Morian's land,"

And break for fainting thousands bread from Heaven.

M.

FESTIVAL OF THE JAPANESE GOD OF WAR.-Respecting the picture on the opposite page, the Rev. George Ensor writes that it represents the festival of the Hachi-man, an ancient Japanese Mikado, who is now worshipped as the god of war. He appears on one of the banners in the guise of a warrior. Gigantic swords and suits of armour are set out in his honour. Hachi-man was an emperor of the 16th dynasty (says Hepburn) about A.D. 275. In his reign the Chinese classics and the art of weaving were introduced into Japan.

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BIBLE-WOMEN AT AMRITSAR.

N reply to a request we addressed to the Society's devoted lady missionary at Amritsar, Mrs. Elmslie, that she would kindly supply the GLEANER with some information to accompany the above picture, she informs us that the photograph was taken in 1875, at the same time as the one engraved in our September number, and that some changes have taken place in the group since then. Mrs. Elmslie herself is the central figure. The two other English ladies were Miss Wauton and Miss Hasell, missionaries of the Indian Female Instruction Society, and the latter has since married. The four sitting Bible-women, beginning from our left hand, were named Elizabeth, Susan, Sophy, and Jane; the two standing, Chrissie and Maggie. Bibi Elizabeth and Bibi Jane [Bibi corresponds to our Mrs.] "have been called up Higher." Bibi Chrissie "has proved unsuitable work for her work." Bibi Sophy "is married and away." Bibi Maggie is now at a village distant from Amritsar." Of Bibi Susan, Mrs. Elmslie sends the following interesting account :

In looking at this little group of missionaries and Bible-women my eye rests with pleasure on the face of Bibi Susan, the teacher referred to in "Sketches of the Punjab Mission" in the GLEANER for July. Eighteen years ago she might have been seen, a pilgrim among many others to the holy city of Benares. She had felt the burden of sin, but was assured by her father and husband, both Brahmins, that she had but to bathe in the sacred river Ganges and be pure. She did all she was told, and returned with her family and friends to her home on the borders of Kashmir unsatisfied and unsaved. Some time later she was taken to another of the many shrines which Hindus frequent in the neighbourhood of Beawr, and while performing the prescribed rites, she overheard an Englishman speaking to a crowd of listeners about the One True God. She strained her ears to hear. He spoke with a foreign accent, and much of what she heard was strange to her, but this she did learn, that the One True God "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It struck her as a marvellous revelation, and she longed to go and ask the earnest teacher to tell her more, but it was impossible.

Her husband hurried her away, but he could not obliterate that revelation from her mind.

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It would occupy too much of our readers' time were I to relate all poor Susan had to endure before her yearning desire to know more was gratified, She at last found her way from her mountain home to Amritsar, where, she had been told, she would find "a teacher of women,' the kind and indefatigable wife of the Rev. T. H. Fitzpatrick, then stationed there as Missionary of the C.M.S. She was welcomed at the Mission House, and patiently and lovingly taught. Her husband and friends expostulated and warned her that if she received baptism she could never again have anything to do with her children, or with them. She answered, "Christ is more to me than all, and He has said, She that doeth the will of My Father the same is My sister. I will follow Him." She was baptized, and never again saw her husband, who died a few years after.

Many years elapsed, and Bibi Susan employed them well, first as teacher and then as Bible-woman. She was married to the catechist T- a convert from Sikhism, and won the respect and love of all classes of the people among whom she laboured. But her heart yearned over the children from whom she had so long been separated, and in 1874, she made a request for three months' leave, that she might visit her old home. It was granted, and she set off in her little doolie (litter), with two trusted bearers, promising to send us news of her arrival as soon as possible. Some time passed, and we began to feel uneasy at hearing nothing from her, for Mankote is beyond British territory, and under strict Hindu rule. At last, after she had been absent six weeks, one of the bearers arrived with the startling intelligence that our dear friend was under arrest, and that the Maharajah's officials were very angry with her for having read the Ingil (i.e., the Gospel) from house to house in her native village. A letter was dispatched at once by the Commissioner, General Reynell Taylor, claiming for her the privileges of a British subject, and ere long we had the pleasure of seeing her safe in Amritsar again. She had found her relations, but had not found her darling firstborn son. He was gone. Death had made many other changes, and her change of religion had apparently turned the hearts of her kindred from her.

Nothing daunted, in the summer of 1877 she again asked leave of absence, and spent two months at Mankote, earnestly seeking to impress on the hearts of her only remaining son and his wife, her brothers, sisters, and friends, the same marvellous truth which had brought peace and joy and everlasting life to herself.

It may interest some to know that she is now occasionally visited by some of her relations, and that her sister and her husband have come to live near her. It was pleasant to see her joy over them when, for the first time, they came to the Christian's church with her. I would ask the prayers of all who have read her story, that those who are bound to her by the ties of nature may be united with her in the still sweeter bonds of the Gospel. MARGARET ELMSLIE.

FAITH NANDO:

A TRUE STORY OF SECUNDRA.

III.

(Continued from p. 120.)

HE gentle maiden, now eighteen years old, had everywhere won the love and esteem of those around her.

There was a young man named Matthias in the Christian village, who had been brought as an orphan boy to Secundra, and educated in the school. He was now compositor in the printing office connected with the mission station, having a house of his own, and a sufficient, though only moderate income. He often noticed Faith in church, and was delighted with her quiet Christian behaviour, her devout singing and expression. He had long wished for a pious, gentle wife, who would be a loving help to him. What maiden more suitable than Faith? But would she have him? According to Indian custom, a man must not himself speak in the first instance to the object of his choice. So Matthias went to the missionary clergyman, and begged him to communicate his wish to Faith. The missionary readily agreed, because he knew Matthias was an upright, pious young man, and therefore hoped Faith would be happy with him, and that their married life would be a bright example to the natives around. Faith, however, found it very difficult to give her consent. Not only was she so happy in her situation as teacher that she would gladly have continued her work for some time longer, but she had an ardent desire to be permitted, when she grew older, to carry the sweet message of pardon and peace through Jesus Christ to her heathen countrywomen. Still Matthias was not willing to give her up, and, as it is the custom in India for all young women to be married, unless sickness or other circumstances prevent, Faith was at length persuaded to accept his offer. Who more happy than Matthias? He cleaned his little house thoroughly

with his own hands, arranged it as prettily as his means allowed, and laid in a store of provisions and firewood, that Faith might find all she required.

The wedding-day was fixed for the 10th of December, 1874-just the time of the year when the coolness of the climate makes it very refreshing, and Nature appears in her glorious raiment, as with us in our beautiful May days. Three other couples were married at the same time. The brides were all orphans who had been brought up at Secundra.

Although from her special endowments Faith was entitled to a higher position in life than the one upon which she now entered as the wife of a compositor in a printing office, yet in her humility she willingly undertook the work of her little modest house, feeling thankful that God had given her a Christian husband, who loved her dearly, and truly happy that she could remain at Secundra. "I should never wish to leave Secundra," she said, "even if Matthias could earn more in another place." She was reminded that perhaps the Lord might require her services elsewhere, at some future time, for mission work, and then she expressed her willingness to make the sacrifice from love to Him.

The Christian village where Matthias and Faith lived lies near the Orphanage. It consists of two parallel streets, tolerably wide, and very clean, a short cross road uniting them. From this through a shady avenue the churchyard could be reached in less than ten minutes. This had long been a favourite spot with Faith. Here she had often gladly tarried with her beloved teacher, and they had held earnest conversations about the love of Jesus, salvation through faith in Him, and the power He gives His own people to overcome sorrow, and triumph over death and the grave, in the certain hope of a glorious resurrection.

It was a very modest little home to which Matthias led his bride. Like all other houses in Secundra, it looked more like a mound of mud than anything else had a flat roof, a low entrance, door, and no windows; but it was adorned by a beautiful tree in front, and within its simple furniture was neat and well arranged. A niche in the wall of the sitting-room held a number of books; here the sacred treasure of the house, God's Word, had its place, and also the devotional books for daily use, as Matthias and Faith began and ended each day with family prayer. This was Faith's unpretending but pleasant home, and here she felt so comfortable that she seldom left it. It was no temptation to her to run into the houses of her acquaintances, or join in the village gossip.

At first Faith sometimes found it hard to perform all the rough housework, though she had been accustomed to do it at the Orphanage until she became a teacher; but she could not keep a servant, and was therefore obliged to work herself. She had to rise early that she might prepare a warm meal for her husband before eight o'clock, when he went to his business, from which he returned at six in the evening. In January and February the mornings are bitterly cold, and Faith's little fingers were so sadly frozen one day whilst washing the brazen vessels in the court, soon after her marriage, that she burst into tears. Matthias saw what had happened, and he was so touched that he sent her into the house to warm herself, whilst he washed and polished the vessels. Ever afterwards he helped her whenever he could. "I do it only from love to you," he would say, "for I would do it for no one else."

The married couple did not neglect public worship. "It is nowhere so beautiful as here," Faith said, "and God's service in Secundra sinks deeply into my heart." Her clear voice could be distinguished in the singing from those of the other village women. Occasionally, when not busy in the house, she was glad to visit the superintendent and the two ladies who conducted the institution which had been the home of her childhood.

At Christmas Faith had the great pleasure of once more seeing her early and specially loved teacher, who spent some weeks in Secundra and its neighbourhood, on her way to Europe, whither she was obliged to return on account of her health. Faith had much to tell about her husband's goodness to her, and her little household affairs. When Miss H. was taken ill at Agra, Faith could not rest until her husband allowed her to go and nurse her kind friend. Matthias gave her leave, though reluctantly, to remain ten days, going to the city several times by waggon himself in order to see her for a few hours. The farewell to Miss H. was a great grief to Faith, who felt that though they might write to one another, there was little hope of their meeting again on earth. The children of God know that they have a home above, where there will be no sorrow or separation, but an eternal reunion in the presence of their Lord and Saviour. There Faith desired that her heart might evermore dwell, and she comforted herself with the Word of God.

Towards the end of the summer God sent Matthias and Faith a little son, over whom they greatly rejoiced. Soon after, Faith became so ill that she could not remain in her own loved home, because there was no one to nurse her except her husband, and she was taken to the hospital at Agra with her baby. Here she got no better, and had the grief of seeing her little one fading away. So after a few days they returned to Secundra, where in baptism the child was taken into covenant with God and received the name of Edward. When the Saviour took their darling to Himself, two days afterwards, the sorrowing parents were comforted with the

thought that they should meet him hereafter in heaven. The frail earthly shell was laid in a little coffin, adorned with many flowers, and was carried to the churchyard, followed by most of the boys from the institution and the singers from the girls' choir, who both on the way and at the grave sang some beautiful Hindustani hymns; but their voices were almost choked by their tears, and the elder boys, who had been brought up with Matthias, wept as much as the friends of Faith.

After this Matthias nursed his little wife day and night with most devoted love, and she really seemed to improve. When one of the ladies went to see her and said how rejoiced she should be when Faith could return her visit, Faith laughed and told her that as she felt very weak she would get a stick to help her on her way. She sent by her visitor many greetings over the sea to Miss H., with renewed thanks for all the tokens of her love. But even the help of a stick was not sufficient to enable Faith to leave her room; whenever she got up she had to be carried from her bed to a chair and back again. Soon afterwards the teacher removed Faith to her own house, having a bed prepared in the sitting-room that the invalid might have experienced nursing, and all the nourishment she required. In the loving care she now continually enjoyed dear Faith traced God's goodness; and thus He returned to her the kindness with which she had watched over her sick sisters years before. What Faith prized most of all was the reading of God's Word for her comfort and support, and the prayers offered up with her and for her. She was visited not only by her husband, and an earnest Christian friend of his, but the missionary often came and prayed with her. For a time her strength seemed to revive; she slept better and enjoyed her food, and hopes were awakened that the Lord would restore her to all who loved her. But this was only a short flickering of the light of life which was soon to be extinguished. She herself thought far more of her soul than of her dying body. On one occasion when Miss S. would have given her medicine she begged for prayer instead, and mingled her own feeble petitions with the supplications of her kind friend. Gradually she became so weak that she slept much, but often awoke in such suffering that she could not restrain cries of anguish. At such times the Word of God always soothed her. One day when suffering very severely she asked the teacher to sing a favourite hymn, and when emotion obliged her to cease, Faith sang the rest of the lines herself in a loud voice. The following day her sufferings were still greater, and she cried out, "Oh, what shall I do?" She was reminded of the agony which our Saviour endured on the Cross, and she became quite calm, resigning her will entirely to His.

During the night her weakness was so extreme that she could not speak, but made signs to show she understood what was said. The teacher watched by her with her husband until four o'clock, when she became so weary that she lay down for a little rest. At six o'clock Matthias roused her, as Faith could scarcely breathe. The missionary knelt at her dying bed, and prayed that the Lord would grant her a gentle and happy dismissal. She perfectly understood, and a few tears quietly stole down her cheeks. When the prayer was ended she opened her eyes wide, and cast a sorrowful but loving look on all who stood around her, as if to bid them farewell; then a peaceful look spread over her face, and she fell asleep in Jesus. This was on the 11th of October, 1875.

Loving hands prepared Faith's last bed. They put on her bridal dress, and strewed over her the most beautiful roses which bloomed in the Secundra garden. She lay in her teacher's sitting-room, where she died, and looked most lovely. Every trace of sorrow was gone, and peaceful indeed was the expression of her face.

Towards evening she was carried to the churchyard which she so much loved, and laid near her little one, to rest until the great Resurrection Day, when the Lord Jesus will Himself awaken His own sleeping people, and the corruptible body arise in everlasting beauty.

The coffin was carried by the elder youths belonging to the institution, and was followed by more than a hundred of the boys and girls. On the way they sang the hymn, "There's a land that is fairer than day," and after the coffin had been placed in the grave they sang, "Oh, think of the home over there." Other sweet hymns followed, and then all returned quietly home. A serious expression marked every face, and many eyes were filled with tears, for all loved and valued Faith, whilst to many she had been an instrument of good. The principal man in the village said of her, "She led a truly Christian life." She was a bright example to her companions, though her humility never allowed her to consider herself above them. So she was greatly beloved, and now the assurance that she was happy with the Lord Jesus helped to draw their hearts upwards.

The evening of the funeral was most beautiful. Nature was as peaceful as the fresh grave over which the moon was shining. In deep grief Matthias visited the sacred spot, and then went to the kind friend who had so tenderly nursed Faith to the last, and begged her to pray with him before he returned to his desolate home. She read the 121st Psalm. That was the farewell message for Matthias when his Faith left him-a loving promise from the Lord, to whom he looked for help in his sorrow; and the words spoke peace to his troubled heart.

H.

BISHOP CROWTHER: HIS LIFE AND WORK.

occasion.

X.-FIRST FRUITS ON THE NIGER.

WARM welcome awaited the missionary party, as the Investigator dropped anchor opposite Onitsha on the evening of September 5th, 1862. But a significant illustration of the difficulties which have always beset the Niger Mission, owing to the want of frequent and regular communication, is supplied by Crowther's experience on this The steamer was to leave at 5 A.M. the next morning, so that he had no opportunity of seeing chiefs or people, and had to spend the whole night in hearing from Langley, the teacher who had been left in charge, the acconnt of his labours. However, Mr. Taylor had come back to his old post to settle with his family, and to him fell the glad task of taking up the work. He found twenty-nine adults, who had embraced the Gospel, awaiting baptism; and on the first Sunday nearly 400 people attended the public service. In the course of the following year it was his privilege to baptize no less than fifty-three persons.

Meanwhile Crowther went on in the Investigator to the Confluence at Gbegbe. There, too, the grace of God had been at work, and several candidates for baptism were presented by the solitary but faithful teacher. It was here that the first-fruits of the Mission were, on September 14th, gathered into the Church. Let the happy event be recorded in Crowther's own words :

Sept. 14. This day, at the morning service, though with fear and trembling, yet by faith in Christ the great Head of the Church, who has commanded, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," I took courage, and baptized eight adults and one infant in our mud chapel, in the presence of a congregation of 192 persons, who all sat still, with their mouths open in wonder and amazement, at the initiation of some of their friends and companions into a new religion by a singular rite, the form in the name of the Trinity being translated into Nupe, and distinctly pronounced as each candidate knelt. These nine persons are the first-fruits of the Niger Mission. Is not this a token from the Lord to the Society to persevere in their arduous work to introduce Christianity among the vast population on the banks of the Niger, and that they shall reap in due time, if they faint not? More so, when the few baptized persons represent several tribes of large tracts of countries on the banks of the Niger, Tshadda, Igara, Igbira, Gbari, Eki, or Bunu; and even a scattered Yoruba was among them. Is not this an anticipation of the immense fields opened to the Church to occupy for Christ?

Samuel Crowther has always known how to redeem the time, and the few weeks he spent at Gbegbe were well occupied, not only in preaching, teaching, and organising, but in improving his Nupe vocabulary and translating into that tongue some chapters from St. Matthew's Gospel, and also in establishing an "industrial institution" for the purchase, cleaning, and packing of cotton for the English market, in hopes of developing a trade in that article. When, in the following year, he was again up the river, he was visited by some messengers from Masaba, the Mohammedan king of Nupe, from whom nothing had been heard since the closing of Rabbah in 1859; and, taking them round the Mission premises, and showing them the cotton-gins, the screw-press, and the bales ready for shipment, he asked them to deliver this message to their master:-" We are Anasara (Nazarenes): there (pointing to the schoolroom) we teach the Christian religion; these (pointing to the cottongins) are our guns; this (pointing to the clean cotton puffing out of them) is our powder; and the cowries [the little shells which are the currency of the country], which are the proceeds of the operation, are the shots which England, the warmest friend of Africa, earnestly desires she should receive largely."

Some trials fell upon the Gbegbe Mission during the interval between Crowther's visits in 1862 and 1863. One of the teachers, the daughter of another, and two of the converts, died. The two latter, Maria Azin and Fanny Aniki, were "consistent Christians, very humble and affectionate, and placed their entire confidence in Christ for salvation." Both belonged to the Bunu tribe. Azin, who was the very first inquirer to come forward, had been a slave of the king of Gbegbe, but had been ransomed by Crowther. "These two hopeful deaths made a very great impression on the heathen population, being quite different from what they had been accustomed to witness." Another trial was the death of the king himself, Ama Abokko, who had been very friendly to the Mission, and on his dying bed charged his chiefs in these words:-" Suffer nothing to harm the Oibos; they are my strangers." (Oibo is the word for white man, but is applied also to civilised Natives who come from "foreign parts," like Crowther from Sierra Leone.) This event proved a real calamity; for civil war followed, and two years afterwards Gbegbe was entirely destroyed by one of the combatants, and the Mission broken up. Meanwhile, however, about forty converts had been baptized, and some of these escaped across the river to Lokoja, which has since then been the Confluence station.

The time had now come for a great step forward to be taken. But we must leave this for another chapter.

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